Sunday’s World Cup Final in Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium will be the venue, they hope, for Croatian revenge on the biggest possible stage.

However, much like that game in Saint-Denis almost exactly two decades ago, they will walk on to the pitch as second favorites; but if they are to be considered underdogs, then they are very live underdogs indeed.

Luka Modric, the maestro at the heart of everything Croatia do, has arguably been the best player at the tournament and his influence is magnified by an entire generation of Croatian talent who have grown into the team around him.

Mateo Kovacic, Marcelo Brozovic, Ante Rebic and even, to a certain extent, Ivan Rakitic have all earned their footballing stripes in the shadow of the great Real Madrid playmaker and this type of DNA has permeated every level of the team, something which has been evident throughout the last four weeks in Russia.

OZAN KOSE / AFP

In France, though, they will face the most talented squad in the entire tournament in Sunday’s final. Didier Deschamps’ side are still smarting from falling short in the final of the European Championships two summers ago, in a tournament they hosted.